Artful Baker

Extraordinary Desserts From an Obsessive Home Baker

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• Publisher: Abrams
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781683351023
• Topic: Arte
• Subtopic: Artes culinarias

A collection of more than 100 extraordinary desserts-all with photos and meticulous instructions-by Cenk Sonmezsoy, creator of the internationally acclaimed blog Cafe Fernando. Written, styled, photographed, and designed by Cenk Sonmezsoy, The Artful Baker shares the inspiring story of a passionate home baker, beginning with his years after graduate school in San Francisco and showcasing the fruits of a baking obsession he cultivated after returning home to Istanbul. Sonmezsoy's stories and uniquely styled images, together with his original creations and fresh take on traditional recipes, offer a thoughtful and emotional window into the life of this luminary artist. The Artful Baker is comprised of almost entirely new content, with a few updated versions of readers' favorites from his blog, such as Brownie Wears Lace, his signature brownies topped with blond chocolate ganache and bittersweet chocolate lace (originally commissioned by Dolce & Gabbana and awarded "e;Best Original Baking and Desserts Recipe"e; by Saveur magazine); Raspberry Jewel Pluot Galette, a recipe inspired by Chez Panisse's 40th year anniversary celebrations; and Devil Wears Chocolate, his magnificent devil's food cake that graces the cover of the book. Each chapter highlights a variety of indulgences, from cookies to cakes and tarts to ice creams, including recipes like Pistachio and Matcha Sables; Tahini and Leblebi (double-roasted chickpeas) Swirl Brownies; Sakura Madeleines; Sourdough Simit, the beloved ring-shaped Turkish bread beaded with sesame seeds; Isabella Grape and Kefir Ice Cream; Pomegranate Jam; and Blanche, a berry tart named after the Golden Girl Blanche Devereaux. Every recipe in The Artful Baker has gone through a meticulous development phase, tested by an army of home bakers having varying levels of skill, equipment, and access to ingredients, and revised to ensure that they will work flawlessly in any kitchen. Measurements of ingredients are provided in both volume and weight (grams). Where a volume measurement isn't useful, weight measurements are provided in both ounces and grams.

CAKES, MUFFINS, CHEESECAKES & MERINGUES

Double Chocolate Bundt Cake

Three-Bean Vanilla Bundt Cake

Deeply Appley Apple Cake

Sour Cherry & Almond Upside-Down Cake

Raspberry & Pistachio Crumb Cake

Sakura Madeleines

Lemon Verbena Madeleines

Lavender Madeleines

Carrot Cake with Blond Chocolate Frosting

Carrot Bundt Cake

Banana Walnut Muffins

Orange & Poppy Seed Olive Oil Cake

My First Day in San Francisco

Chocolate Cheesecake

Deeply Pumpkiny Pumpkin Cheesecake

Matcha & Pistachio No-Bake Cheesecake

Devil Wears Chocolate

Devil Wears Chocolate Swirls

Triple Raspberry & Lemon Birthday Cake

Monte Bianco

Mango & Red Currant Pavlovas

Eton Mess

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE

More than half of the six years I spent writing my Turkish cookbook, then creating this English-language version, were devoted to perfecting the recipes. Give me another three years, and I can assure you that some of the recipes would change.

It’s not that the recipes are lacking in any way. It’s just my nature to continually retest until I’ve explored every nook and cranny, which sometimes results in my preferring a new version. I have yet to decide whether this compulsion is a blessing or a curse, but knowing that I’ve done everything I can to perfect a recipe is the only way I find comfort and peace.

Here’s something else I can guarantee: If I’m lucky enough to one day publish a book of my greatest hits, drawn from my long list of works published through the years, this is the chocolate Bundt cake recipe I will include, exactly as you see it here.

To me, this cake is perfection: strong enough to stand upright, yet fragile enough to yield to the slightest prick of a fork. The intense punch from strong brewed coffee and cocoa powder is softened by the sweet, sticky ganache glaze. Achieving this balance was no easy feat, but I was relentless—I baked one cake after another, tasted them all with and without the glaze, took all kinds of notes, ate more cake while comparing my notes, and finally reached a conclusion. The things I do for you!

Serves 10 to 12

CAKE

14 tablespoons (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan

5 ounces (140 grams) bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), coarsely chopped

½ cup (50 grams) Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons (10 grams) pure vanilla extract

½ cup (120 grams) very strong brewed coffee or espresso

½ cup (120 grams) heavy cream

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons (6 grams) baking powder

½ teaspoon (3 grams) baking soda

½ teaspoon (4 grams) fine sea salt

1 ¾ cups (350 grams) granulated sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

GLAZE

5 ounces (140 grams) bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), coarsely chopped

¾ cup (180 grams) heavy cream

2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon (5 grams) pure vanilla extract

Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).

Generously butter a 10-cup (2.4-liter) Bundt pan. If your pan has an intricate design, use a pastry brush to reach all the nooks and crannies.

To make the cake, in a medium heatproof bowl, combine the chocolate, cocoa powder, and vanilla.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the coffee and cream to a boil, stirring occasionally. Take the pan off the heat, pour the coffee mixture over the chocolate mixture, and whisk until the chocolate melts and the cocoa powder dissolves. Let cool completely.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for 1 minute after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to low and beat in one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the chocolate mixture. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture and the remaining chocolate mixture. Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, reaching down to the bottom to incorporate any unmixed dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack, set the rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and let cool completely.

To make the glaze, put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream, sugar, and vanilla to just below a boil, stirring frequently. Take the pan off the heat and pour about half of the hot cream mixture over the chocolate. Stir gently with a silicone spatula until blended. Add the rest of the hot cream mixture, stirring gently until the chocolate melts completely. Immediately scrape the glaze into a small heatproof pitcher and pour it over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.

Using a cake lifter, transfer the cake onto a serving plate, and serve. (You can scrape the excess glaze on the parchment into a bowl and enjoy it later as an ice cream topping.)

Storage: The cake will keep under a cake dome at room temperature for up to 3 days.

THREE-BEAN VANILLA BUNDT CAKE

The day I accepted white chocolate for what it is—an ingredient made up of fat, sugar, and dry milk solids—rather than air-quoting the word chocolate and deeming it unworthy because it contains no dry cacao solids, I opened up a whole new world of possibilities. What if I substituted white chocolate for butter and sugar in a cake?

Darn it, Cenk! You can’t beat white chocolate with sugar. How are you going to integrate air into the batter? was my first reaction. Well, how about a portion of it? Just imagine the added aroma of the cocoa butter. You know you’ll like it. You know it is the only reason “real” chocolate melts in your mouth. Think of what it will do to your cakes. Think of the possibilities, urged the adventurous glutton in me.

I couldn’t resist, and the vanilla cake I was working on at the time was the perfect candidate. The cake’s starting point was another mini revelation: Sherry Yard’s Seven-Bean Vanilla Ice Cream from her book Desserts by the Yard. It was one of many components of a dessert she created for the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Oscars: Chocolate Truffle Tart with Chocolate Crème Brûlée Diamonds and Seven-Bean Vanilla Ice Cream. Wouldn’t you have fallen off your chair if you had seen it on the menu? I made it and devoured every spoonful. People don’t become pastry goddesses for no reason.

This recipe is a humbler version of that ice cream, made as a cake. Three vanilla beans, a couple teaspoons of vanilla extract to amplify their flavor, and white chocolate for that heavenly aroma of cocoa butter.

And just wait until the cake is two days old. When it is tough enough to stand in a toaster without risk of crumbling, cut a thin slice and toast it. The heat revives the vanilla seeds, which become tiny flavor bombs as you nibble on the crusty crumbs. You know you’ll like it.

Serves 10 to 12

13 tablespoons (6.5 ounces; 185 grams) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan

2 ¼ cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

6.3 ounces (180 grams) white chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 ¾ teaspoons (7 grams) baking powder

½ teaspoon (4 grams) fine sea salt

3 vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped (see this page)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 grams) granulated sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons (10 grams) pure vanilla extract

½ cup (120 grams) whole milk, at room temperature

⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (95 grams) heavy cream, at room temperature

Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).

Generously butter a 10-cup (2.4-liter) Bundt pan. If your pan has an intricate design, use a pastry brush to reach all the nooks and crannies. Dust the pan with flour and tap out the excess.

In a medium heatproof bowl set over a medium saucepan filled with 2 inches (5 cm) of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally with a silicone spatula. Remove the bowl from the pan and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and vanilla seeds at medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for 1 minute after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla. Stir the melted chocolate to make sure it is still fluid (if not, warm it just slightly), then beat it in at medium speed until blended, about 30 seconds. Reduce the speed to low and beat in one-third the flour mixture, followed by the milk. Beat in another third of the flour mixture, followed by the cream. Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. You may use the leftover vanilla pod halves in Homemade Vanilla Extract (this page) or Vanilla Sugar (this page).

Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, reaching down to the bottom to incorporate any unmixed dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then invert the cake directly onto the rack to cool completely.

Using a cake lifter, transfer the cake to a serving plate, and serve.

Storage: The cake will keep, wrapped airtight, at room temperature for up to 3 days. Alternatively, individually wrap slices in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Before serving, toast the slices in a toaster—no need to thaw.

DEEPLY APPLEY APPLE CAKE...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• From San Francisco to İstanbul, from Blog to Book
• Before We Begin
• Cookies
• Brownies
• Cakes, Muffins, Cheesecakes & Meringues
• Tarts, Galettes, Pie, Quiche, Cobbler & Crumble
• Breads & Pastries
• Ice Creams, Frozen Yogurt & Sorbets
• Confections & Drinks
• Jams & Jellies
• Base Recipes
• Ingredients
• Measurements & Conversions
• Equipment
• Sources
• Acknowledgments
• Index of Searchable Terms
• About the Author
• Copyright Page